TROT has again donated $100 for the portable toilet at Morgan Run NEA Ben Rose Lane. Carolyn A. Garber, Secretary of Carroll County Equestrian Council, thanks us for our continued financial support. Please remember, in order to keep the trails open and accessible, the Carroll County Equestrian Council has scheduled monthly trail work days, as approved by Patapsco Valley State Park management.  The dates appear on the website (www.carrollcountyequestriancouncil.org) and Facebook (Carroll County Equestrian Council…

Announcing TROT’s new Secretary! Trail Riders of Today (TROT) member, Sandra Bourdeaux, upon learning that the position was open, offered to step in and fill the role. At the April meeting, Sandra volunteered to create and run TROT’s new Mailchimp account to provide expe-dient email outreach for the membership. While discussing the details of that project, TROT President Car-olann Tackenberg Sharpe, mentioned that the Secretary role was open. Sandra immediately offered to help. “I used…

April 30, 2024 Dear Potomac Horse Center Community, It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing the permanent closing of Potomac Horse Center (PHC),effective Monday, July 22, 2024. PHC is planning for lessons to continue uninterrupted through June16th, which is the last day of our Late Spring session. Unfortunately, we are unable to hold camp. Should PHC need to adjust this timeline we will let you know. Since 2017, PHC has tried to…

Check out the new Horse Trails of America Website. www.horsetrailsofamerica.com Please add your favorite trails. (There is a free membership available.) Let us know what you think.

The historic Potomac Horse Center (PHC, opened in the 1950s by Frederick G. Harding) is part of the public/private partnerships of open space and facilities owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). The leasee is the current owner of the business known as the Potomac Horse Center, which first executed its lease in 1993 on already 30-year-old infrastructure.  With help from the community, the leasee has already privately raised and invested $300,000…

Firstly, thank you to everyone who took the time to vote. We really appreciate it and you chose some fabulous new board members. Please help me welcome:  Meaghan McDermott from Howard County. She has a beautiful Morgan mare named P.K. and rides a lot at Patapsco. She has legal experience and would like to support equestrian trails and more regular group rides.  Suzannah Kolbeck from Baltimore City. She has a lovely quarter horse gelding named…

Thanks to a Maryland Horse Industry Board Grant and Trail Riders of Today additional financing, we were able to complete installing a 2 new mounting block and 2 new hitching post in Patapsco State Park. Thanks enormously to Kahler Fence and to Four Dogs Construction for their contributions in this endeavor. You can find these in the McKeldin (close proximity to horse trailer parking) and Avalon (newar shelter 104) areas near the bathrooms. Convenient right?…

Water is a major factor – if not THE most significant factor – that causes trail erosion. This damage can be compounded by temperatures fluctuating above and below freezing in what is known as a “freeze-thaw cycle.” This happens as moisture in the dirt freezes and expands, creating a porous texture, rather than the firmly-compacted, solid surface riders and hikers expect of Patapsco’s well-maintained trails. Freeze-thaw cycles on their own can cause compacted trails to…

Sugarloaf Mountain’s Caretakers – Stronghold Inc. – reopened the Mountain to the public on 10/10/23, but there are changes. Visitors will no longer be allowed to park in the crossroads or “square”. This change will keep the intersection clear of inappropriately parked vehicles, eliminate late night loitering, and stop after hours entry onto the Stronghold property. This change will also provide a needed staging area for all EMS vehicles during emergencies. They will be towing.…

Deadline DECEMBER 25th PLEASE PLEASE Take a few minutes to vote for your new board for 2024 Our organization is only as strong as it’s volunteers and these self-less members have stepped up. ALL MEMBERS can ATTEND and VOLUNTEER for events and tasks at our Monthly Meeting. You are invited to vote for the 2023 TROT Board Members.Here is the link: https://forms.gle/F1HmUcvbtAmqq6g36 2023 Ballot For Board Members for the 2024-2025 TermMembership voting will close on…

https://forms.gle/UyDnAYYGxysFVf53A TROT is accepting nominations for the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for the years 2024-25. You may nominate yourself or another TROT member. Each nominee must be a member in good standing (current member) and 18 years of age or older.  The call for nominees starts September 15th and ends October 13th. You may nominate yourself or another member for more than one position.  An application MUST be completed for each position. TROT…

We just wanted to announce that we recently were awarded a Maryland Horse Industry Board (MHIB) grant to build mounting blocks in Patapsco Valley State Park (Baltimore and Howard Counties- Ellicott City, MD). Patapsco is a favorite park for many user groups, and encompasses 16, 043 acres. We will also be adding hitching posts. We were planning on targeting the main bathroom area, but if you have a pressing need elsewhere in the park, please…

E-MTBS IN CARROLL COUNTY, MD How do you feel about e-bikes? We are encouraging equestrians to weigh in on opening Carroll County trails to e-bikes. This will include Union Mills and the Hashawha Environmental Center trails. Speak up by emailing the County Commissioner at commissioners@carrollcountymd.gov. Be sure to put Proposed Amendment to Chapter 94.036, Departmet of Recreation and Parksas the subject in your emails. You can also call the County Commisioner’s office to leave a voicemail at 410-386-2043.

Watch these bills and please contact your state legislators on those you care about.

This December 4th, 2022, Trail Riders of Today participated in the annual Mayor’s Christmas Parade in Baltimore, Maryland. Over 25,000 people were estimated to be watching. We are so proud of our 10 equestrian participants representing Trail Riders of Today, for they won 1st place in the Equine Division from the number of multiple equine groups this year. Congratulations!